FTP reply code 214 is the response to a HELP command. It lists the commands the server supports or provides usage instructions for a specific command. When HELP is sent without arguments, the server typically lists all available commands. When sent with a command name (e.g., HELP RETR), the server provides a brief description of that specific command's syntax and usage. This is useful for discovering which commands a server implements, especially vendor-specific extensions. Note that not all servers implement HELP, and the format varies between implementations.
The client sent HELP without arguments to get a list of all FTP commands the server supports. The response lists command names, sometimes with brief descriptions.
The client sent HELP followed by a command name to get usage details for that specific command. The response explains the command's syntax and parameters.
Send HELP to see which commands the server supports. This is useful for identifying extensions and custom SITE commands.
curl -v ftp://ftp.example.com/ -Q 'HELP'
For programmatic capability detection, FEAT (returning 211) is more reliable than HELP. FEAT returns a standardized list of extensions, while HELP format varies between servers.
The server is reporting its system status or listing supported features.
The server did not recognize the FTP command. It may be misspelled, malformed, or unsupported.
The FTP server recognized the command but has not implemented it or has disabled it.